I spent Saturday at Montagne d'Argent, where we found a couple routes with a hefty helping of sand bag in their ratings (well, at least relative to other MdA routes), and others that were a lot more solid. Did something like 8 routes, at 4 different cliffs that day.

Sunday a couple of our gang needed to be back in town for about 3pm, so we headed to the Western Cwm in Gatineau park which is much closer (1/2 hour drive, rather than 2 hour drive). We did a few routes, including me falling up a 5.10d on TR -- for me, pushing my grade, as I've never completed all the moves on this route before. Linking them -- that's another matter, but with some work, it may come. I just don't tend to rehearse out-door routes, I might get back on this route once or twice a year, and each time will be about one trip up. I just don't seem to have the work-the-route mentality.

Once in a while it is good to climb slabs, if only to remind you why one should try to avoid them.

With clear skies, no wind, and low 80's, there was no other option but to drive up to climb Roger's Rock on the northern tip of Lake George. I took a friend who has never climbed slab before, so how better than to introduce him on this 650' beauty?

We started off climbing the linkup of Screaming Meaning to the Matrix, a 4-pitch, 650', 5.7 route that is gorgeous from bottom to top, if sparsely protected. The mini epic began on pitch 3. As luck would have it, shoelaces on both shoes broke in exactly the same spot. Since they are old Mythos, the laces are also the eyelets, which sucks ass when laces break. After topping out, I am reminded why I despise rapping on slabs. No matter what, ropes get jumbled up. No worries, down we came. We then started up Little Finger, the 3-pitch 5.5 finger crack that defines this wall. By now the rock face is literally blistering hot (we both got blisters on our hands yesterday). Halfway up pitch 2, I pulled up and over a small flake to watch 4 cams magically careening down the cliff thanks to a broken gear loop on a harness I have worn fewer than 10 times. I hardly even felt the slight pull of the cam lobe caught on the flake. I down-climbed and picked up three cams that fell to rest on a small ledge. However, my brand spankin' new Metolius offset cam fell the full 250'. Luckily, it didn't splash into the Lake, but is was halted just a couple feet from the edge of the cliff-bottom boulder edge.

Luckily, it looks to be in good enough shape to continue using.

Anyway, it was a good day except for the bad omens. A good reminder for me to stay off of the slabs for a while!

Once in a while it is good to climb slabs, if only to remind you why one should try to avoid them.

With clear skies, no wind, and low 80's, there was no other option but to drive up to climb Roger's Rock on the northern tip of Lake George. I took a friend who has never climbed slab before, so how better than to introduce him on this 650' beauty?

We started off climbing the linkup of Screaming Meaning to the Matrix, a 4-pitch, 650', 5.7 route that is gorgeous from bottom to top, if sparsely protected. The mini epic began on pitch 3. As luck would have it, shoelaces on both shoes broke in exactly the same spot. Since they are old Mythos, the laces are also the eyelets, which sucks ass when laces break. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/pacifist/laces.jpg[/IMG] After topping out, I am reminded why I despise rapping on slabs. No matter what, ropes get jumbled up. No worries, down we came. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/pacifist/matrix_rap.jpg[/IMG] We then started up Little Finger, the 3-pitch 5.5 finger crack that defines this wall. By now the rock face is literally blistering hot (we both got blisters on our hands yesterday). Halfway up pitch 2, I pulled up and over a small flake to watch 4 cams magically careening down the cliff thanks to a broken gear loop on a harness I have worn fewer than 10 times. I hardly even felt the slight pull of the cam lobe caught on the flake. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/pacifist/broken_loop.jpg[/IMG] I down-climbed and picked up three cams that fell to rest on a small ledge. However, my brand spankin' new Metolius offset cam fell the full 250'. Luckily, it didn't splash into the Lake, but is was halted just a couple feet from the edge of the cliff-bottom boulder edge. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/pacifist/fallen_cam.jpg[/IMG]

Luckily, it looks to be in good enough shape to continue using.

Anyway, it was a good day except for the bad omens. A good reminder for me to stay off of the slabs for a while!

wow...that's too many annoying failures for me. Good on you for toughing it out.

Been a while since I put anything up. This was partly because I got suspended from work for six weeks and did not need the internet for entertainment. How the powers that be thought that not allowing me to go to work and sit in a cubicle for the entire second half of spring was punishment is beyond me, but they did. Punishment for what you ask? Parking. I let my soon to be ex-wife use my parking pass. Apparently you’re not allowed to do that. So now I’m back to work and once again bored stiff as I slowly die in my half-walled cell. Here’s how much fun my time off was.

The first two weeks kinda sucked because I thought I was getting fired and charged with felony theft. Yep. For parking. So I wasn’t exactly psyched to get out and climb anything, as I was under the impression that my world was coming to an end. Once I got the news that I’d be back in six weeks I started making plans. Couldn’t climb all the time, had to make some money, had to spend some time with junior, so at first I did a couple sessions at Governor Stable, Safe Harbor, and other places we Pennsylvanians go for a quick fix. By Memorial Day weekend I was dying to get the hell out of the state, so I went to the New with about fourteen other dudes who wanted the same. Unfortunately for me it was a “bouldering” trip, but I tug along anyway. Glad I did because I got a good tour of what the region has to offer in that department and am actually psyched to go back when the weather’s a little more favorable toward bouldering rather than the 95 degree temps that plagued us on this trip. I was able to salvage an on-sight of Black and Tan on the last day of the weekend so all was not totally lost. Rad route. Highly recommend it.

The next weekend, the first one in June, I got together with a few older friends and hit the Seneca area for some mostly undocumented sport climbing. Good weekend, tons of fun, and not a single boulder problem in sight. Yippee.

Upon returning home from that excursion it dawned on me that there were precious few remaining opportunities to get out after it before going back to the hell on earth known as office work. I had to make some money so I couldn’t just bail for the entire final two weeks, and Fathers Day encompassed one of my two remaining weekends. Would have to be around for that. So I took the only three days available and went back to the New, this time to climb higher than fifteen feet off the ground.

Four Sheets to the Wind was long on my ticklist so I convinced my buddy we should do that first. So we drove to the Junkyard, parked the car, forgot the guide in said car and hiked down toward the cliff, reasoning that I knew exactly where the climb was and what it looked like, it was an obvious corner after all. What I didn’t realize was that the first corner one comes to when taking the trail through the Junkyard is Rapscallion’s Blues, not Four Sheets to the Wind. Now would be a good time to note that the hardest thing I’d ever sent on gear was Party in my Mind at .10b, which I thought was soft at that. So as I climbed what I thought was a 5.9 I recall thinking it was the hardest damn .9 I ever did. This of course makes all kinds of sense since the route was in fact .10c. Still I’m happy to take this opportunity to spray; I flashed it. Not going to call it an onsight because once I hit the ledge at ¾ height some dude walked by and pointed out that I wasn’t on the route I thought I was and gave me a little beta for the high crux, which I could not for the life of me figure out how to make go at 5.9. Awesome route, glad I accidentally did it. The rest of the day we did some crag hopping, hitting Cottontop for Psycho Wrangler and Fern for Wild Seed before ending the day on the Bernwood Boulders.

The second day we started off on Out of Mind at Beauty, mostly because I wanted to add a cheap 5.10 tick to my trad climbing arsenal. It was fun I guess, but the protection on the Brain weirds me out and the lone horizontal I really liked for a gear placement was occupied by a bat. Nervously I stuck a yellow alien in there in front of his face and thankfully he never budged. After that we set out toward Burning Calves but got stopped dead in our tracks by Disturbance, which by the way is one of the coolest damn sport climbs I’ve ever been on. The seam is fuggin sweet. After Beauty we went to the hole and dicked around on Lactic Acid Bath for a bit but I think I only made it to the third clip out the roof before bailing on that bitch. Psyched to try it again next trip. Ended the day on Pockets of Resistance hoping to send my first .12 but was too beat from everything else to even do all the moves on toprope.

Day three we went back to the Junkyard and did Four Sheets, for real this time, before heading to Summersville for Tobacco Road and Narcissus, neither of which I was able to do. I think either could go this year though. Maybe.

Now here I am. Day three of my not so triumphant return to the office, my next visit to the New a solid six weeks away. Somebody please put a bullet in me

first part sucks, but it sounds like you actually got some sweet climbing in.

I loved the New and I really want to go back. Not sure when it'll happen, though. So at the very least, I'm jealous.

Rain here. More. Fucking. Rain.

Yeah dude, for all the fucked up shit that's happened this year, 2012 has easily been the best year of my life. The whole end of the marriage thing was actually a bonus 'cuz it sucked, and as I mentioned before having literally the entire second half of spring off work to do whatever I wanted was amazing. Of course now they're making me go to counseling to try to get to the root of what mental problems may have caused me to steal parking, and of course they're making me go to work every day too, so the fun's over.

Bummer about the rain. If it makes you feel any better it's 97 degrees here. Not exactly ideal for climbing.

first part sucks, but it sounds like you actually got some sweet climbing in.

I loved the New and I really want to go back. Not sure when it'll happen, though. So at the very least, I'm jealous.

Rain here. More. Fucking. Rain.

Yeah dude, for all the fucked up shit that's happened this year, 2012 has easily been the best year of my life. The whole end of the marriage thing was actually a bonus 'cuz it sucked, and as I mentioned before having literally the entire second half of spring off work to do whatever I wanted was amazing. Of course now they're making me go to counseling to try to get to the root of what mental problems may have caused me to steal parking, and of course they're making me go to work every day too, so the fun's over.

Bummer about the rain. If it makes you feel any better it's 97 degrees here. Not exactly ideal for climbing.

Well, I hope things continue to get better. I'd rather have 97 and sun than what we have here. Rain for a month straight except for about five days of nice sun.

I did make it out on Sat for two climbs to help my gf's son get over some relationship issues he was having. He just needed a morning to get his head straight a bit. We only got two climbs in before the gf called and he ran back to her. Kids.

But still, apparently in Curitiba here it rains about 300 days of the year, and we're currently in one of "those" stretches where the sun doesn't shine because it's hiding "there."

DIP...stealing parking? You have got to be kidding me. Outrageous. Well, glad you got to climb. I love narcissus, haven't been on it in years. Since I am not gym training anymore, I doubt I could make it up.

Jake...looks like you had a great time hiking. I think I am too lazy to hike.

Greg. Any sun sounds like a good thing for you guys. Hope you find sun and climbing.

I enjoyed 4 days of climbing last weekend. The weather at the gunks was glorious. Had a wonderful time. Did some really obscure routes that were surprisingly fun. Moby Dick, Talus of Powder were two of them. Worth doing for sure.

Headed up this weekend; I have 8 guests staying at the house. Good thing we have an outdoor shower!

DIP...stealing parking? You have got to be kidding me. Outrageous. Well, glad you got to climb. I love narcissus, haven't been on it in years. Since I am not gym training anymore, I doubt I could make it up.

Jake...looks like you had a great time hiking. I think I am too lazy to hike.

Greg. Any sun sounds like a good thing for you guys. Hope you find sun and climbing.

I enjoyed 4 days of climbing last weekend. The weather at the gunks was glorious. Had a wonderful time. Did some really obscure routes that were surprisingly fun. Moby Dick, Talus of Powder were two of them. Worth doing for sure.

Headed up this weekend; I have 8 guests staying at the house. Good thing we have an outdoor shower!

Moby Dick sounds really familiar, and not just because it's a famous book. Where is it? I think I might have done it, but maybe not.

Greg...Think "andrew", P2. Instead of going right at the big, white flake and exiting on the 5.4, go up the flake, and head left.

You get up under a roof, traverse left on little tiny feet (huge hand traverse, bring a #3) and then settle down and get ready to climb into a v-notch (it looks like V3). This little shorty had a very big reach to not-so-big crimps then up to jugs. Very airy as you stem both sides of the "V". More airy than V3. Exciting!

Greg...Think "andrew", P2. Instead of going right at the big, white flake and exiting on the 5.4, go up the flake, and head left.

You get up under a roof, traverse left on little tiny feet (huge hand traverse, bring a #3) and then settle down and get ready to climb into a v-notch (it looks like V3). This little shorty had a very big reach to not-so-big crimps then up to jugs. Very airy as you stem both sides of the "V". More airy than V3. Exciting!

have you done it?

I can't remember. The name sounds incredibly familiar, so I have to think I have, but I can't even remember the details of Andrew right now since I've only done it once or twice, and it was never a route I sought out to do.

Greg...Think "andrew", P2. Instead of going right at the big, white flake and exiting on the 5.4, go up the flake, and head left.

You get up under a roof, traverse left on little tiny feet (huge hand traverse, bring a #3) and then settle down and get ready to climb into a v-notch (it looks like V3). This little shorty had a very big reach to not-so-big crimps then up to jugs. Very airy as you stem both sides of the "V". More airy than V3. Exciting!

have you done it?

I can't remember. The name sounds incredibly familiar, so I have to think I have, but I can't even remember the details of Andrew right now since I've only done it once or twice, and it was never a route I sought out to do.

Hmm...

Could be becuase there seems to be a Moby Dick at every crag, boulderfield, and climbing gym on the north american continent. Probably in Brazil too.

Sounds like their parking seriously over there in Penn. Maybe a little tooo much so. However, I did like the yellow alien bat crack, that was funny. Note to Second: watch your fingers on that piece of gear, it might bite you. Or... I took a flyer, just a few feet about a bomber yellow alien, but it didn't hold. As I fly by this bat pushed it out.

Sounds like their parking seriously over there in Penn. Maybe a little tooo much so. However, I did like the yellow alien bat crack, that was funny. Note to Second: watch your fingers on that piece of gear, it might bite you. Or... I took a flyer, just a few feet about a bomber yellow alien, but it didn't hold. As I fly by this bat pushed it out.

I mean to elaborate on the parking thing, we basically figured out a way to use one parking pass to score two spaces. So while we did do something wrong, the most i ever thought would happen would be a stern "hey knock it off." But since the city of Harrisburg is so, so far beyond broke and the city actually owns the garage I guess they took offense to the fact that we weren't paying as much as they thought we should. Since we were doing it for something like two years, they took the monthly cost of parking multiplied by 24 months and came up with 2300.00. Since it was over 2 grand the felony word was thrown around, but in the end they just gave us the forced vacation, made us pay the 2300.00, and as i mentioned before decided that there has to be some sort of underlying mental issue that caused us to commit such an atrocity. I want a new job.

Sounds like their parking seriously over there in Penn. Maybe a little tooo much so. However, I did like the yellow alien bat crack, that was funny. Note to Second: watch your fingers on that piece of gear, it might bite you. Or... I took a flyer, just a few feet about a bomber yellow alien, but it didn't hold. As I fly by this bat pushed it out.

I mean to elaborate on the parking thing, we basically figured out a way to use one parking pass to score two spaces. So while we did do something wrong, the most i ever thought would happen would be a stern "hey knock it off." But since the city of Harrisburg is so, so far beyond broke and the city actually owns the garage I guess they took offense to the fact that we weren't paying as much as they thought we should. Since we were doing it for something like two years, they took the monthly cost of parking multiplied by 24 months and came up with 2300.00. Since it was over 2 grand the felony word was thrown around, but in the end they just gave us the forced vacation, made us pay the 2300.00, and as i mentioned before decided that there has to be some sort of underlying mental issue that caused us to commit such an atrocity. I want a new job.

Still sounds a little stern for parking. Glad to hear its all behind you now. Time to move forward to climbing trips.

Sounds like their parking seriously over there in Penn. Maybe a little tooo much so. However, I did like the yellow alien bat crack, that was funny. Note to Second: watch your fingers on that piece of gear, it might bite you. Or... I took a flyer, just a few feet about a bomber yellow alien, but it didn't hold. As I fly by this bat pushed it out.

I mean to elaborate on the parking thing, we basically figured out a way to use one parking pass to score two spaces. So while we did do something wrong, the most i ever thought would happen would be a stern "hey knock it off." But since the city of Harrisburg is so, so far beyond broke and the city actually owns the garage I guess they took offense to the fact that we weren't paying as much as they thought we should. Since we were doing it for something like two years, they took the monthly cost of parking multiplied by 24 months and came up with 2300.00. Since it was over 2 grand the felony word was thrown around, but in the end they just gave us the forced vacation, made us pay the 2300.00, and as i mentioned before decided that there has to be some sort of underlying mental issue that caused us to commit such an atrocity. I want a new job.

Still sounds a little stern for parking. Glad to hear its all behind you now. Time to move forward to climbing trips.

Yeah man. Looking to do a little suffer fest at Old Rag in a couple weeks. I hear the approach is heinous, especially in July. Can't wait.

Speaking of Climbing Trips. I had been wanting do a quick write up of my Memorial day weekend trip. I was waiting for some pics from the people I climbed with but since the pics are not here yet, I'll just write it up without. Since I am Don, and it is my lot in life to have issues getting to the crags the weekend was no exception. There is now pretty go sized group of us at work, so we usually can work something out. But as they all had evolving plans, we went from a big long weekend trip, to a day at Suicide teaching them the ways of the trad, to nada. I posted up looking for partners, one person PM'd asking for midweek. But I was tied up at work, so had to decline. Then in a strange but fortuitous twist of fate, looking at the Partners Wanted forum at the right time, a post under US South for Alabama Hills was at the top. I followed it under mere curiosity. Turned out a couple had questions about Alabama Hills in CA, of which I am fairly familiar with. The thread got moved to the Partners Wanted US South due to confusion over where Albama Hills are. No really, they are in CA. They were a couple living and working on the road, living the dream as it were. But as Cavers. She mentioned that he was experienced climber, but really undersold his belaying experience. I drove up Sat, and by the time I got there was just really wanting to chill. We talked and I got a feel for his experience, I felt comfortable with letting him lead belay me. Turns out he was really solid on belay. Sun we hit an easy crag, that I had taken my family up before. Two routes go to a common anchor, the bottom bolt was missing from the left route, so I head up the right route. Clip the two bolts, climb the upper half on easy patinas. And Stop. Someone has pinched the hangers and Mussy hooks for the Anchor. After staring dumbly at the missing hardware for a bit I decide I need to tell my belayer what's happening. When no immediate solution presented itself, I down climb off to think. Eventually I decide to relocate two hangers from the left route, already missing the one hanger, to the anchor. We messed around on TR on the two routes most of the afternoon. When it started to get latter, he suggested we hit something else. After thinking about it, and not wanting to move too far, I decided to hit a little longer route right around the corner. Glad we did cause it was a nice much longer climb, 50 foot 5.7. Had dinner called it a night. Monday I decided I really needed to replace the missing/relocated hangers. So we reclimbed the route yet again, replaced the missing lead hangers, and messed around some more on the climbs. I was wanting to get on another route across the way, but it was getting a little late. I bailed and went home. Turned out the wife was still hanging at her Mom's, so I really didn't need to scoot home early. But no regrets, I had a good time climbing and was just glad to have made it out there.